Every passing is a tragedy, however the death of a loved or friend cuts deeper than anything. Yesterday the world lost Jim Kelly; a father, husband, martial artist, actor, but to many including myself, an inspiration. His death was confirmed by ex-wife Marilyn Dishman on Facebook, however the cause of death was not confirmed. Kelly was 67 years old.
Famed for his role in Enter the Dragon alongside Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly was a truly iconic figure in the martial arts world. Born in Paris, Kentucky, his athletics career began whilst in high school, where he competed in basketball, football and track and field. Kelly left Louisville University during his freshman year in order to begin studying karate, training in both Shorin-ryu and Okinawa-te disciplines. After success in several tournaments, including the Huntington Beach Classic, Kelly went on to win the middleweight title at the 1971 Long Beach International, before opening his own dojo.
Kelly’s film career started in quick succession after he trained actor Calvin Lockhart for a role in Melinda, which led to Kelly himself taking a role in the film as a karate instructor. His rise to martial arts stardom truly began during his next film however, when Rockne Tarkington dropped out of the cast just days before shooting. That film, was Enter the Dragon. Kelly took the role of Williams, a Vietnam veteran and karate master, who suffers racial prejudice from local authorities. His unorthodox style and streetwise attitude made him an instant hit, earning the approval of both film studios and audiences. He went on to become an important figure in the blaxploitation movement with titles such as Blackbelt Jones, Hot Potato and Black Samurai. Kelly’s performances saw him rewarded with a three-film Warner Bros. contract, which he completed before going on to star in several low-budget independent productions.
Following his retirment from the film industry, Kelly moved to Southern California, where he taught as a professional tennis coach, competing on the USTA Senior Men’s Circuit. Kelly is survived by his daughter Sabrena Kelly-Lewis.
Personally, Enter the Dragon is one of my favourite films. One of my most cherished memories of cinema was stopping up late on a school night to watch it on television when I was about 13 years old. Seeing Lee and Kelly fight for the first time inspired my own passion for martial arts, which has come to define me as a person. Blackbelt Jones is also partially responsible for my fondness of blaxploitation cinema, with Kelly’s undeniable charisma, confidence and ability as a martial artist proving to be a huge inspiration to myself. My thoughts are with his friends and family during this time.
What is your favourite Jim Kelly film? Share your memories of the martial arts legend in the comments section below.
The Good, the Bad and the Average 
Being a Martial Arts movie fan, one of my top favorite movies was “Enter The Dragon” way back in the 70’s – starring Bruce Lee and Jim Kelly. And as an ardent fan of both of them during my teen years, I used to have their posters on my bed room wall. Several years passed by and I ended up in USA – and was living in San Diego. California. I used to work at this Organic Food store and one day, there was this familiar gentleman who came to my counter – and while serving him, I mentioned to him that he looked pretty familiar. He then asked me “like whom” – and I responded telling him about the Martial Arts craze during the 70’s and that I was a fan of Jim Kelly and Bruce Lee. He chatted for a while with me and before he left, he shook my hand and told me “I am Jim Kelly”. I knew my guess was right. From then on we became good friends and would talk about the good old Martial Arts movies and his other passions like football and tennis and also about the other movies he starred in – especially “Three the Hard Way” with Jim Brown and Fred Williamson which was another one of my favorites. I moved the following year from San Diego to Mississippi – and lost contact with Jim Kelly. A Few years later, on one rare occasional visit to San Diego, I went with my wife to the Store I used to work at – and to my delight, there was Jim getting out of his car. I introduced him to my wife and we spoke for a while and promised to keep in touch. However, last year I was saddened to learn of his passing away. though it was a brief friendship, I had a high respect for this man who, in spite of his fame, was a down-to-Earth, simple man. May his Soul rest in Peace!